Expectancy

Well, it's been a while since I have updated this little blog, mainly due to the fact I was able to share with many of you personally while I was home in August. There has been a lot going on in Brisbane since then, but I thought it would be cool to share about the latest happenings in our community.

Life is getting busy. We have the MAD DTS starting up today and the students will be arriving between now and then. We're doing our best to be prepared: cleaning, finishing our paperwork for student assignments, praying as a staff team, interceding, and also we are helping to launch a new ministry on our YWAM Base called EPIC (which is a youth ministry, reaching out to locals). Between my staff schedule, leading worship, and going into the city for evangelism the week gets pretty full.

One thing I have been seeking the Lord for is simply MORE. I want more of Him. More love, more signs and wonders, more prophetic words, more glory, more salvation. If it's of God, I want it. I've been praying quite consistently for the past 3 months for the MORE. Specifically, I've been wanting to see an active life of evangelism and worship where supernatural things occur. We go into the city to do treasure hunts (this is a type of evangelism that relies heavily on waiting on the Lord for guidance and then approaching people based on what is received from or felt from God) on Friday or Saturday night every weekend and we've had some success and some failure with that. To be honest, I had been growing a little disappointed. It seemed that whether I prayed my guts out or not there was little results to be seen. Nonetheless, in all of my quiet times I had felt God provoking me and challenging me to be expectant with Him.
To expect is to regard something as likely to happen. The latin root for the word means 'to look out'. I believe this word describes the beginning of faith in Hebrews 11:1- "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
Unfortunately, we sometimes confuse expectation with presumption.
To presume is unwarranted boldness, to take liberties or unjustified demands. The latin for this is "take for granted."

God's invitation into His heart is paved in faith. It requires that when we pray, we expect our prayers to be heard and activated. It requires that we stand in our place as sons of the Almighty God (see all of Romans 8, Ephesians 1,2, Galations 2:20) and with ours hearts before God to offer our lives as living sacrifice in every aspect-- including that which our flesh is most afraid of.
Much easier to say than to do.

We've gone into the city a few times. The 1st time we had 9 words of knowledge and only two people allowed us to pray for them-- one was healed the next week. The 2nd time we went into the city we had no luck-- no one would talk to us, we couldn't seem to receive anything from the Lord so we just prayed for the city.
We went in a few other times with little success, other than a little confirmation that we had heard God's voice and the feeling that God was pleased and excited that we were taking initiative.

The other day I was out in the park late at night praying to the Lord. I was struggling with disappointment in not seeing prayers answered and also just being let down by some friends around me. I cried out to the Lord in my moment of feeling totally alone and discouraged and He responded with this: "Satisfaction in me breaks the yoke of disappointment."
I was stunned. I had been more concerned in results than in intimacy.
I cried out for God. I worshiped Him. I opened my heart up to Him and I enjoyed the presence of my Father.

The next couple of days I noticed there had been a breakthrough. I wasn't burdened any longer! I was free to enjoy the Lord without feeling like a failure as a minister of Christ.
A couple of mornings later we gathered as a base to have our weekly morning intercession. One of my friends (who was leading the morning) asked if I could lead worship. I grabbed a guitar but wasn't feeling too ready. I was functioning on little sleep and small quiet time in the morning. Luckily, God is bigger than whether I am tired or well prepared.
We began to worship and I shared a word about expectancy-- Realizing that when we worship we are encountering the Risen Lord Jesus Christ. It is His Presence, it is His Holy Spirit. It is the Uncreated God inhabiting our praise.
Some people around the room began to respond crying for MORE of God.

As I was singing a song, I all the sudden became aware that healing was on God's heart. I saw a picture of my BLS leader's back being healed (as she had strained it and could barely move her body without feeling pain). I opened my eyes to see two girls praying over her. I shared another impression I received for someone's healing in the left part of their back, and someone raised their hand. We gathered around her. Another girl in the room went to a friend in the room and asked for prayer for her knees.
The presence of God was so strong in the room and I was overwhelmed with joy. I had to put my guitar down and let Amber (fellow MAD Staff) take over on piano and I just began to worship. God began to move. People were sharing words that brought freedom and life with one another and at the end of the meeting two of the three girls who were prayed for testified to the healing power of Jesus!

I was walking home later that night and realized, "This is only the beginning."
I cried out for more, and I am still crying out for more.
The great thing is, the Lord hears and responds to our cries.